Sister Joan Chittister famously said, "We are each called to go through life reclaiming the planet an inch at a time until the Garden of Eden grows green again." Reflecting on that journey -- a blog at a time -- is the focus of this site.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Response from my congressman to my email on the budget impasse

So like everybody else (I HOPE!) I wrote my representatives ... congressional and senators ... called their offices (local and DC) ... and let them know what I think about the Debt Ceiling Debacle. Here's the reply I got just a few minutes ago from my congressional rep ... Adam Schiff (who I got to call on when I was on Capitol Hill in May for the HRC clergy lobby day.)I've added the "bold" below.

Dear Rev. Russell:

Thank you for contacting me with your thoughts on the debt ceiling issue. I appreciate hearing from you and welcome your input.

As you know, over the last several months, Washington has been engaged in a painful debate over raising the federal debt limit. The discussion has thrust some of the most challenging fiscal issues facing the nation into the limelight, garnering a great deal of attention in the process - and rightfully so. I fully agree that it's important that we craft serious solutions for our nation's looming deficit and debt problems, which pose a threat to our long-term economic future.

The United States Constitution gives Congress the sole power to borrow money on the credit of the United States. To assist in efforts to control the country's finances, Congress created a statutory debt limit that compels Congress and the President to take deliberate action to allow further federal borrowing. The Treasury has never before faced a situation in which it was unable to pay its obligations as a result of reaching the debt limit - the debt limit has always been raised by Congress before the debt reached its ceiling.

If a default ever were to occur, it would have catastrophic effects from Wall Street to Main Street. Both directly and indirectly, many corners of the U.S. economy rely on the nation's creditworthiness, and if a default occurs, everyone will suffer. Like a homeowner who can't afford to pay a mortgage, or a consumer who misses payments on their credit card, the nation would face higher interest rates after a default, increasing the deficit. Default will also mean higher interest rates on new mortgages, tighter credit for individuals and companies, dwindling retirement funds, and slowed economic growth. After suffering through the worst recession since the Great Depression, we cannot afford to take these prospects lightly - we cannot afford to default. This would be the ultimate self-inflicted injury.

I've long advocated for commonsense solutions to the nation's growing budget problems, and as a member of the Committee on Appropriations, I have worked on implementing reasonable solutions to reduce our deficit that make cuts that will not impair our recovery or land disproportionately on the poor, that protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and that raise revenues by eliminating special interest corporate loopholes. I also favor allowing the upper-income tax cuts of the Bush Administration to expire, as it is appropriate to ask those who have prospered most over the last decade to contribute a fair share.

Unfortunately, we are currently at an impasse in the debt ceiling negotiations as a result of the unyielding insistence by some members of the House Majority that we must reduce our deficit through massive and immediate spending cuts alone: an extreme position that I cannot support.

The budget plans recently offered by the House Majority would continue an unsustainable policy of upper-income tax cuts, while turning Medicare into a voucher program. These proposals are not new and do not meet a test of basic fairness. Instead, they reflect a policy that was evident in the debate over the continuing resolution to fund the government, where the majority protected multibillion dollar tax subsidies of the oil industry while cutting home heating oil assistance to the poor.

There are a few proposals under discussion that would put our nation's fiscal house back in order, reduce the deficit by trillions of dollars, and maintain the solvency of Medicare and Social Security, while avoiding the kind of immediate, devastating cuts that would risk sending our economy back into recession. I recognize the need for compromise to resolve the issue, and the need to act as soon as possible. But I cannot support a deal that will balance the budget on the backs of our seniors or the poor and most vulnerable -- while asking nothing of millionaires and billionaires. Such a proposal does not represent the values of the American people, who have made it clear they support a balanced solution that makes cuts and raises revenues requiring a shared sacrifice.

I appreciate your frustration with the continued bitter and rancorous rhetoric emanating from Washington -- and believe me, I share it. I'm also committed to doing everything I can to resolve this issue immediately and fairly, so we can avoid the terrible consequences of default.

Again, I thank you for weighing in with your concerns, and urge you to continue to express your support for a reasonable solution to this man-made crisis. Please be assured that I will keep your views in mind when this issue is considered on the House Floor.

An on-going job of a Representative in Congress is to help constituents solve problems with federal agencies, access services, and get their questions answered promptly. On my website, I offer a detailed guide to the services my office can provide to you as a constituent. I also encourage you to subscribe to the Washington Update, my email newsletter which contains information on local events, my work in Washington, and even lets you weigh in on important issues through online polls. Visit me online at http://schiff.house.gov to subscribe. Please know that you can always reach me at (626) 304-2727 or via my website if I can ever be of additional assistance.

Thank you again for your thoughts. I hope you will continue to share your views and ideas with me.

Welcome to my blog ...

... where I try to be really clear about what I'm clear about. For example:

Religious persecution is when you're prevented from exercising your beliefs, not when you're prevented from IMPOSING your beliefs.

========

Until we end the blatant and indefensible discrimination of DOMA we are not living up to the pledge we make to be a nation of liberty and justice for all, we are not providing the equal protection guaranteed by the 14th Amendment to same-sex couples and we are failing to defend the self-evident truth that our forbearers fought to protect: that ALL people are created equal.

============ Using "biblical standards" to condemn those who understand that sexual orientation is morally neutral makes as much sense as using "biblical standards" to condemn astronomers who understand that the earth revolves around the sun. The Bible may have said it but that doesn't always settle it. ============ It's liberty and justice for all -- not some. It's respect the dignity of every human being -- not just straight ones. Got it? Great. Let's do it.

====== In order to keep moving forward toward liberty and justice for all we can't just be right about what the 1st Amendment protects. We have to be smart about how we respond to those who skipped the 9th Commandment and think lying is a Traditional Family Value. ======= Jesus said "Love your neighbor." Not "Love your neighbor unless your neighbor is gay."

Basic Bio

A cradle Episcopalian second generation Dodger fan ENFJ native of Los Angeles I was ordained in 1996 and currently serve as a Senior Associate at All Saints Church, Pasadena.
My family consists of my wife Lori, 2 dogs, (Hillary & Chelsea), 3 cats (Maui, Cherokee and Harold) and our four young adult kids: Jim (married to the awesome Kelly), Brian, Grace and Emily.
My life in the church has included everything from Junior Altar Guild with my Aunt Gretchen to my “obligatory young adult lapsed phase” to a tour of duty on the St. Paul’s, Ventura vestry where I also worked as parish secretary to a life-heart-soul changing experience as part of the Cursillo community to serving on my parish ECW Board to seminary at the School of Theology in Claremont to associate/day school chaplain positions at St. Mark’s, Altadena and St. Peter’s, San Pedro to Executive Director of Claiming the Blessing to my current parish position at All Saints Church. It’s been a long and winding road and the journey continues: an inch at a time.

Bottom Line:

A Comment On Comments

Strongly held perspectives are appreciated. Ad hominem attacks will be deleted. When in doubt, revisit page 305 of the BCP and if what you're typing doesn't meet the "respect the dignity" clause of the Baptismal Covenant then save us both some time and energy and don't hit "send."

DISCLAIMER

This blog is the personal weblog of one Susan Lynn Russell. The opinions expressed herein are hers and hers alone. The postions taken on matters theological or political (or anything else, for that matter) are in no way to be construed as the official positions of any other person, institution, group or organization.

Other Cool Stuff I Get To Do

Smart things other people have said you should know about

“Faith in action is called politics. Spirituality without action is fruitless and social action without spirituality is heartless. We are boldly political without being partisan. Having a partisan-free place to stand liberates the religious patriot to see clearly, speak courageously, and act daringly.” -- Ed Bacon

“Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"It's time for "tolerant" religious people to acknowledge the straight line between the official anti-gay theologies of their denominations and the deaths of these young people. Nothing short of changing our theology of human sexuality will save these young and precious lives." -- The Rt Rev Gene Robinson

"How can you initiate someone into the Body of Christ and then treat them like they’re half-assed baptized?" - The Rt Rev Barbara Harris

“I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” ~ Elie Wiesel, 1986 Nobel Peace Prize

"Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant with the weak and wrong. Sometime in your life, you will have been all of these." — Siddhārtha Gautama

"I'm so glad Mary didn't wait for the formulation of a Doctrine of the Incarnation before she said 'Yes' to God." -- Ed Bacon

"The great Easter truth is not that we will be born again someday but that we are to be alive here and now by the power of the resurrection." -- Philips Brooks (paraphrase)

"History belongs to the intercessors, who believe the future into being.” -- Walter Wink

“Patience, a quality of holiness may be sloth in the soul when associated with the lack of righteous indignation.” -- Abraham Heschel

"Don't tell me what you believe. Tell me what difference it makes that you believe!" -- Verna Dozier

“We establish no religion in this country, we command no worship, we mandate no belief. Nor will we ever. Church and state are, and must remain, separate. All are free to believe or not believe, all are free to practice a faith or not, and those who believe are free and should be free, to speak of and act on their belief. At the same time as our constitution prohibits state religion, establishment of it protects the free exercise of all religions. And walking this fine line requires government to be strictly neutral.” -- Ronald Reagan

Let's be clear. The fact that the State authorizes a marriage in no way compels any Church to perform or recognize it. Marriage equality merely guarantees equality under the law to all citizens; it does not compel churches to do anything.-- Katherine Ragsdale